Tough Winds
by nyreelex
Summary: Extreme weather conditions have Connor working double shifts at the hospital-to make matters worse, he isn't feeling too hot either. But when a certain Cornelius Rhodes makes a visit, everyone finds themselves on their toes. Rhodes sick! (No Slash)
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Chicago Med or any of the characters. Hey everyone! I got so many requests for a Rhodes sick fanfic, I couldn't resist ;) Enjoy! Not as long as my other fics, but still a few chapters. Please review and enjoy!**

"Sheesh, the wind is blowing today, isn't it?" Halstead glanced at the shaking, sliding glass doors of the Gaffney ER, noticing the surplus of noise they added to the already busy scene due to the wind thudding against them.

"Well, it is called the Windy City for a reason," April cleverly answered back as she picked up a stack of towels and marched into a patient's room.

Natalie, standing beside Will, was too wrapped up in her patient's chart to register Will's comment, just mumbled under her breath before defeatedly looking up from her papers and asking, "A patient came in earlier with a herniated abdominal wall, a dilated ascending aorta, and joint hypermobility. I've ordered a cardiogram, an EKG, and even a chest x-ray, but I'm still have trouble diagnosing his condition."

"Hmph," Will though for a second, equally confused, glancing at the chart she was holding, "His x-rays didn't show any signs of an aortic aneurysm?"

"No, and I already ruled out Connective Tissue Disease," she responded, now fully engaged in trying to pinpoint the precise diagnosis. This was one of her favorite parts of the job, where she was able to play a sleuth and deduce just what a patient's problem was.

Something caught Will's eye and he turned around, a mixed expression, pride tinged with respect, upon his face, "Why don't you ask Super Surgeon?" he pointed out, Halstead's eyes fixed in his colleague's direction.

Natalie rolled her eyes at Will's childish nickname, yet didn't hesitate to present her patient's case as she walked up to "Super Surgeon".

"Hey, Rhodes," she approached her friend who, although looking tough on the outside, had a big heart buried within, "I have a question on a patient."

"Trauma?" Connor asked, immersed in his task of removing a small knife lodged inside an unconscious man's thigh.

"No, cardiac," Manning clarified, continuing to watch as Rhodes pondered over the most efficient way to remove the foreign object from his patient's leg, "the patient presented with a herniated abdominal wall, hypermobility in his joints, and a dilated ascending aorta."

"Let's see," he mumbled, Manning unsure whether Connor meant the method in which to remove the knife or if he was addressing her question, "Did you run a chest x-ray?" He gripped the hilt of the weapon.

"Yes, no sign of an aortic aneurysm. His blood work was also clear, so no…." Natalie started.

"…No sign of CTD," Rhodes finished, he glanced up, the gears visibly turning in his head as he delicately placed the patient's leg x-rays next to him.

"Well-" Rhodes began just as the knife deep within this poor guy's thigh ripped free, blood spilling everywhere before a diligent nurse quickly applied pressure to it.

"Keep pressure then pack the wound," Rhodes instructed the nurse pressing against the spot where the knife was not 30 seconds before, "then call me to close when he's ready and awake, I'm going to teach this man not to run with knives," he held up the bloody weapon in emphasis.

The nurse nodded and Rhodes continued his sentence outside of the patient's room, walking to the trauma bay with Natalie, explaining to her his diagnosis, "It's called Arterial Tortuosity Syndrome, a degenerative disease. 90% of patients present with a herniated abdominal wall and a dilated ascending aorta, while only 50% have joint hypermobility. It's hard to catch."

Manning was all smiles as she reveled in the fact her patient's, whom she grew to like in the short time she had seen him, mystery condition was going to be treated. But her happiness ended all to quickly as she saw Rhodes turn away from her and cough in his sleeve, then continue on as if nothing happened.

"Connor?" she asked, slightly worried, as they came up to where Will was standing, "Are you feeling okay?"

Before Rhodes could answer, Halstead perked up when he heard Natalie's question and demanded, "Why? What's wrong?"

"Nothing, nothing," he responded, trying to turn the attention away from him, "Manning's seeing things."

"Yeah, well I'm sure not imagining how pale you look right now," she said back, looking Rhodes up and down, "You don't look too well."

Halstead also did a thorough check of his friend, running through a trauma checklist in his head. Connor quickly realized what Will was doing, treating him as he would a patient, and put a stop to it quickly.

"Stop diagnosing me," he stepped away from his colleagues and, thankfully, from Will's gaze. He reassured his friends once more, stressing, "I'm fine, didn't get much sleep last night after a late shift. Trust me, nothing to worry about."

Before anyone else could add anything, the nurse looking after the knife patient's leg reappeared, informing Rhodes that the man had woken up, and that he wasn't having a good day.

"Well, it's not going to get much better, I can assure you," Rhodes responded before motioning for her to lead the way.

Halstead continued to look after Rhodes' disappearing form, unconvinced by Connor's efforts to get Will and Natalie off his case. He glanced at Natalie, who too looked as if she didn't believe Rhodes' story.

He wasn't going to get off so easy.

….

Will and Natalie were right to question Connor's condition because as he walked into the knife-guy's room, he was suddenly hit by a wave of dizziness. And to make it worse, the guy was screaming at the top of his lungs. Thankfully the patient rooms' doors were soundproof.

"Alright, Mr. Lahey," Rhodes addressed the patient, blinking hard as if to make the page he was reading stop spinning, "That was a real nasty knife wound, but I managed to remove it with minimal damage to your leg, you-"

He was cut off by another of Mr. Lahey's cries of agony. Rhodes just closed his eyes in exhaustion and waited for the patient's screams to subside before he could speak again. After 15 seconds he continued, "you're one lucky man, Mr. Lahey, one inch anywhere else and it could've punctured your femoral artery, lodged into your bone, or-"

Again, Rhodes was cut off by Mr. Lahey's painful yelp. Turning to the nurse, he asked her, "What dosage of morphine did you give him?"

The nurse responded, confused, "He's maxed out, he shouldn't even be feeling anything."

Rhodes just sighed and nodded understandingly. Mr. Lahey was just looking for a fun time, and Rhodes was neither in the position nor the mood to satisfy his desire.

"I'll be right back," he announced, heading towards the door, "Excuse me."

….

By the time Rhodes reentered Mr. Lahey's room, his subtle headache had upped two notches and turned into the first indication of a major migraine. Yet, he continued to shrug off his worsening condition and trudged on-namely to teach Mr. Knife in the Leg not to stab yourself in order to score a free morphine drip trip.

"Excuse my absence, Mr. Lahey," Connor hated apologizing to this guy, but it was all a part of the plan, "But I just went to the front desk and brought this back for you."

Rhodes tauntingly held up a single, plastic evidence bag, the ones hospitals carry to deposit weapons or foreign objects of any kind, and inside sat a red tinged blade.

Mr. Lahey, seeming to have gone from screaming his head off to unnaturally calm in the course of the 5 minutes Connor had disappeared, shifted uncomfortably on the seat.

"Oh, yeah," Lahey piped up, nervously, "that old thing, so glad you found it. You don't mind if I take it back home with me, right? I mean, it was in my leg and all."

"See, that's exactly what I was wondering," Rhodes began, holding the plastic bag up so that all eyes could see it, "How this knife could have been so perfectly lodged in your leg that it caused almost minimal damage. Almost like it knew where it was going."

Lahey chuckled nervously, unsure of what to do.

"You know," Rhodes went in for the kill, "A knife like this could have seriously hurt you. Fatally hurt you."

Lahey gulped.

"I just pulled a few x-rays from another patient that came in a few days before with a knife wound on his upper leg was well," Rhodes held up the x-ray of a patient with only one extremity.

"B-but," Lahey stuttered, "there's only one leg on the x-ray…"

"Oh, that's right," Rhodes played, pretending dumb "I must have grabbed the x-ray from after the surgery."

"Surgery?" Lahey's eyes almost jumped out of his head.

"Yeah, had to chop the guy's right leg off. The knife nicked a few veins on the way in, blood gushing everywhere. Barely got him under in time."

Lahey was visibly sweating, and Rhodes began to as well, though not in fear of losing a limb.

 _Who turned up the thermostat?_ he thought, his dizziness only making matters worse.

"Well," Rhodes finished up his ploy, pretty positive now that Lahey wouldn't be pulling a stunt like this anytime soon, "I'll just leave it in the bag, is that okay?"

Rhodes walked over, ready to place the bag on the table, when Lahey immediately tensed as walked over, "No! No! Uhhh, you can keep it."

Rhodes smiled and nodded, excusing himself partly to celebrate in his success and partly because he was sure the room was tilting.

Shutting the door behind him, Rhodes heard the all too familiar voice of Choi say, "I'm not sure if you scarred the kid or made him pee his pants."

Rhodes smiled and turned to face his friend, but his response died short as his dizziness took on a new meaning.

He stumbled, holding on to the wall for support as Choi jumped into action.

"Hey, Rhodes, are you alright?"

"Yeah, yeah," Connor waved Ethan off as he got his bearings, "It was just extremely warm in there."

Choi's eyebrows were still knitted in question, but Connor wasn't sticking around to hear the rest. Right as he began to walk away, Mrs. Goodwin appeared through the swinging doors, looking flustered.

She walked up to Rhodes, sighing, prompting him to ask, "Mrs. Goodwin, are you alright?"

"Frankly, no," she responded, Choi catching up to the two, "I was just informed my trauma surgeon on call for tonight cancelled due to a family emergency."

"Oh no, especially on a day like this," he paused, motioning towards the heavy winds outside, "there's bound to be some traumas incoming."

"I'll fill in for him," Rhodes responded, jumping in to the rescue.

"Would you?" it was clear in Sharon's eyes that she hated asking Rhodes, but she had no other choice.

"Yeah, no problem," Connor smiled, seeing the relief on Mrs. Goodwin's face, "I'm a night owl anyways."

He failed to mention his growing migraine, just stood all smiles to relieve some of the weight from Mrs. Goodwin's shoulders.

Choi glanced at Connor, suspicious about his fib that the room was "just warm".

"I'll stay tonight too," Ethan piped up, turning to Connor, "I'm sure you could use the extra set of hands."

Rhodes looked back at Choi, an unreadable expression on his face, but knew Choi was only sticking around to watch over him.

"Thank you, Dr. Choi," Mrs. Goodwin was pleased, "Like you said, tonight's going to be brutal."

As she walked back towards the direction of her office, clearing out for the night, she called back to the two doctors, "And I better not see you boys here tomorrow morning when I get back! My doctors need to be well rested!"

….


	2. Chapter 2

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Chicago Med or any of the characters. Hey everyone! Thanks for the reviews! Just wanted to inform everyone I have finals this week and I'm letting everyone know THERE WILL NOT BE AN UPDATE TILL EARLY NEXT WEEK. I would say maybe next Monday or Tuesday? So I tried to make this chapter long for you all! Enjoy and please review!**

Of course it wasn't in between patients or Rhodes completing charts that his migraine decided to hit him full swing. No, his head literally cracked open with pain as Connor hurriedly tried repairing the liver of the patient lying before him.

At first, he tried his best to cope with the immense pain in his skull, breathing deep and blinking hard to take his mind of the burning, yet as each second passed, it became nothing short of a miracle that he was able to withstand it.

He couldn't handle it anymore. Lifting his hands and scalpel from the patient and taking a step back, Rhodes eyes squeezed shut in an effort to block out the rest of the world.

"Jackie," he addressed a nurse to his left hoarsely, eyes still closed and hands now up to his temples, "Page Dr. Carnegie, tell him to close up for me."

"Yes, Dr. Rhodes," she nodded, looking at the surgeon in concern, "are you alright?"

Rhodes just groaned in pain before retreating towards the doorway, scrubs and gloves still on, and swung the door open. He leaned against the sinks of the scrub room hard, removing his gloves and holding his face in his hands, trying to block out the pain.

"Damn it," is all he mumbled as the pain took on a new meaning. Rhodes opened his eyes and he found that the room was spinning, his stomach responding in nauseous waves to the rollercoaster of the outside world.

He ducked out of the OR and half-jogged, half-stumbled to the nearest supply closet, sinking to the floor hard as the door closed behind him.

Here, Rhodes knew he could regain composure. It was just a matter of time before this horrific migraine passed. But it hadn't loosened its grip yet, and didn't plan on it. Another wave of pressure encompassed Rhodes' skull, causing him to moan and pull his head between his knees.

After a few minutes, when the oncoming migraine had subsided not even a degree, Connor lifted his head, panting hard. Opening his eyes wasn't a good idea, it seemed the world was free falling around him.

Rhodes, wild-eyed, reached for the nearest waste basket beside him and vomited, unable to contain his nausea.

He breathed hard, leaning his head against the metal supply rack behind him and contemplated calling someone.

Halstead would be at home asleep, it was 3:17 in the morning. Although he would immediately come to Rhodes' aid, Connor didn't want to burden him with his headache.

Natalie was out of the question too, she needed to rest up as she had a family at home she needed to look after.

Maggie would wake up the whole neighborhood trying to get him help, which certainly wasn't going to happen on Rhodes' watch.

Choi was right downstairs…it was tempting. Another wave of pain surged through him and left Rhodes thinking about paging Ethan right then and there.

 _No,_ a voice in his mind scolded at him, _What, Riyadh didn't teach you a thing or two about coping? Pull it together!_

And he did. Taking a few deep breaths and grabbing a water bottle from a case off the shelf, Connor opened the door and braced himself for the long night.

…

Will entered through the ED doors bright and early the next morning, a skip in his step as he faced the new day with a smile. He spotted April at the nurses' station and made his way over, wishing her a happy "good morning."

"Well somebody is in a good mood," she teased, eyeing him curiously.

"What?" he joked back, heading towards the locker room, "I can't afford to be happy?"

April smiled back and called, "Nope!" before she disappeared from Halstead's sight.

He chuckled to himself, opening the door to the locker room and was startled to almost run face first into Choi.

"Whoa, man," Halstead commented, looking Ethan up and down, "You look like absolute hell."

"Yeah, well spending the night on a plastic chair does that to you," the exhaustion was evident on the doctor's face.

"You spent the night here?" Halstead asked, curious, while helping Choi pack his backpack, a few things falling out of it from their near run-in.

"Yeah, Goodwin needed us to cover," Choi yawned, swinging his bag on his shoulder as he was anxious to get in his own bed.

"Us?" Will was 20 questions today.

"Me and Rhodes," Choi opened the door.

"Connor?" Halstead suddenly remembered the note he made to himself of how ragged Rhodes looked yesterday, "Where is he?"

"I don't know," Choi yawned once more, "but, man. He was like a well-oiled machine while I was past out on the chair."

Halstead looked confused, wondering how the man had the energy. Choi offered a quick "see ya" before disappearing as well.

As Will placed his stuff in his locker, he couldn't stop picturing in his head the pale, coughing version of Rhodes he encountered yesterday. And after spending more than 24 hours at work, Will was sure his condition hadn't improved.

Stuffing his belongings in the small compartment, Halstead quickly locked the door and was like a bloodhound hot on the scent of finding Connor Rhodes.

…..

"Listen, Sheila," Halstead scrutinizingly used the first name of the stubborn nurse he was confronting at the moment, "I need to know which OR he's in so I don't go scrubbing in and out of every operating room and waste valuable time!"

Both Nurse Sheila and Will Halstead were replicas of each other: hands on their hips, tempers hot, and death glares unholstered.

"So typical of all you doctors," she spat back, "thinking you can go around ordering the nurses what to do. Well not on my surgical floor!"

Before Will could return with a stinging retort, he heard a voice from behind him amusingly ask, "Tearing down the nurses now are we?"

Will whipped around and relaxed his tense shoulders as he saw Dr. Daniel Charles calmly approaching, defusing the situation.

Halstead sent one last menacing glances towards Nurse Sheila before walking towards the psychiatrist who was curious about the situation.

"Long story, little time," Will sighed, "listen, I have to find Connor. Have you seen him today?"

"This early?" Dr. Charles asked back, confused, "Hell, I haven't even finished my first cup of coffee yet."

"Yeah, well apparently Choi and him took the overnight shift for whatever reason," Halstead informed, Daniel and him continuing down the hall, walking slowly.

"Why'd they take the overnight?" Dr. Charles stopped, adjusting his glasses.

Halstead shrugged, "Precisely why I'm trying to find him to ask. He's been MIA since last night but, from the little I got from Nurse Sheila," Will shot a despicable look in her direction, "he's been in an emergency surgery for over 6 hours."

Dr. Charles looked up, shocked beyond belief, "A 6 hour trauma surgery during the graveyard shift? On top of yesterday's work day?"

Will nodded, mouth pressed into a thin line.

Dr. Charles glanced back in the direction they had walked from, "Give me a minute while I go charm Nurse Sheila."

He winked and walked away.

…..

The pair made their way towards the last OR in the hallway, Nurse Sheila willingly offering Dr. Charles this information because he "asked nicely".

Will couldn't help but roll his eyes at that.

Halstead opened the swinging door of the scrub room which provided a clear view of the operating room before them.

Nurses and surgical tech surrounded the bed, operating lights and equipment bearing down on them. Yet, standing out in a navy blue scrub cap, stood a tall, tense figure, face turned away from Will and Daniel.

"There's Rhodes," Halstead quietly pointed out as the two scrubbed in the sink, making another mental note that, just from the way Connor was standing, he wasn't doing too hot.

"This is why I could never be a surgeon," Dr. Charles added, lifting his now wet hands from the sink, "6 hours of this? No thank you."

Halstead only smiled as the two proceeded into the operating room, which, previously quiet behind the glass of the scrub room, was awake with beeping machines and hoarse orders from Dr. Rhodes.

"Jackie," he addressed the nurse next to him, eyeing Connor with worry in her eyes, "ten blade."

As Halstead approached the operating table, he couldn't tear his eyes away from his friend. Rhodes 100% hadn't slept in over a day, his faces, though half hidden by a surgical mask, was the picture of exhaustion.

His head looked like it felt too heavy for him to hold up any longer and his arms were slightly shivering from the constant hours of careful placement and exertion. Connor's eyes, Will noticed, were red rimmed with fatigue and discomfort, which did not help the pallor of his skin.

He looked ghostly. Sickly. And Halstead wasn't going to continue watching his friend clearly suffer.

Dr. Charles seemed to pick up on the notion as well because he suggested, "Dr. Rhodes, are you almost finished here? If so, let me call another surgeon to close-up, it seems to me the patient is away from any life-threatening situations."

Connor, who saw this as a challenge on his skill and not as an excuse to help him, glared at the psychiatrist.

"Thank you for the concern, Dr. Charles," the hoarseness in his voice clear, "But, I'm just about done here and-"

Rhodes broke off his sentence midway, stepping back from the patient on the table, all eyes on him. He moaned quietly, trying not to show weakness, but rubbed the knuckles of his hands against his temples. This bout wasn't an easy one.

Connor again squeezed his eyes shut in an attempt to fight off his racking migraine, which had incessantly stayed for over 8 hours now.

Nurse Jackie, clearly having been through this drill several times throughout the night, tried pleading once more, "Dr. Rhodes, please-"

"Jackie, I'll be fine," Rhodes could hardly muster, still bent over in pain.

Halstead sprang into action, having never seen Connor like this before in the entire time they had known each other, quickly shouting, "Connor! Connor, let's go, buddy, you're done here."

Rhodes didn't protest as his colleague led him out of the operating room, his eyes still closed as his migraine raged.

Dr. Charles settled the situation inside by ordering Nurse Jackie to page the trauma surgeon on call, Rhodes' shift was supposed to have ended over an hour ago, yet the man was nothing if not dedicated. The psychiatrist stayed in the room, however, and watched over the patient as a few fourth year residents stepped in and started to finish closing up.

"Buddy?" Connor confusingly asked Will as they tried not to bump into their surroundings on the way out.

"Yeah, well, call me old-fashioned," but Halstead didn't get to see Rhodes' reaction as the trauma surgeon stopped in his tracks once more and fell to his knees, moaning.

"Rhodes!" Halstead's worry took on new meaning as he bent down towards his friend, who looked to be consumed by pain at the moment, "What's wrong?"

"My…head…" Connor barely managed before gritting his teeth and slowly lowering his head to the floor as if to block out his surroundings.

Connor's headache went from "I'm having a bad month" pain status to "Never live again," because Rhodes just couldn't bear it any longer. Halstead's voice sounded far away, though he knew his colleague was only a few steps away.

The world dipped, then twirled, and finished off with a backflip, causing an all too familiar nausea to resurface. He tried to keep calm and cope, but incomprehensible stutters of pain escaped his lips in the process. Yeah, this wasn't a normal migraine.

His chest felt heavy, the new-found pressure in his lungs beginning to increase, and he struggled for air. This didn't seem to make Halstead feel any better as he led Rhodes to the wall, propping him up against it as Will started his examination, nervousness clawing at him, yet Halstead didn't dare show it.

Will just stared at his friend who was slumped against the wall, gasping for breath. Something was not right at all.

"I know this is probably the worst moment ever to say 'I told you so,'" Will began talking out of worry, doing a mental checklist of Rhodes' examination, "But, pal, I told you so!"

Dr. Charles emerged from the operating room, looking for Will and Connor, only to find the two a few feet away, Rhodes lying against the wall. He rushed over upon seeing Will's serious expression and Connor's half-aware state of mind.

"What happened?" Dr. Charles demanded as he knelt down, snatching one good look at the surgeon and taking a sharp intake of breath at Rhodes' demeanor.

"I'm not sure," Halstead responded, focus etched in his face, "But pulse is sluggish and respirations are low quality."

"I'll get a team up here," Dr. Charles whipped out his pager, dialing everyone from the security guards to Sharon Goodwin: EMERGENCY.

Halstead looked up, frantic, yet keeping his composure for his patient. He heard Rhodes ask, half in delirium, "Pal? …Did you..just call me…pal…?"

Rhodes' head then felt like it weighed over a thousand pounds and, unable to keep himself propped up any longer, fell to the floor, blackness encompassing him on the way down.

…


	3. Chapter 3

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Chicago Med or any of the characters. Thanks to all those who waited so patiently! And for those great reviews, yet I'm always open to hearing more comments and ideas! Enjoy and please review!** …

Natalie fast-walked into the emergency room, running up to Maggie in her own personal flurry. Coffee in hand, purse slung over her shoulder, pony tail falling out.

"Sorry!" she apologized, out of breath from her quick commute to work that day, not keeping track of the time that morning, "The traffic was so heavy on the-"

She cut off abruptly and her expression changed to that of concern upon glancing at the expression Maggie was wearing.

"Maggie," she immediately jumped to console her friend, "What's wrong?"

Maggie was silent for a short time before saying, downcast,"I-It's Connor…something... bad happened."

"What?" Natalie was speechless and adamant about what happened to her friend, not sparing a minute for the details.

"Maggie, what room is he in?" she demanded, and when her friend couldn't form the words, she asked once more, this time with more assertion, "What room, Maggie?"

"Trauma 6," she replied pitifully.

….

Rhodes was a sight for sore eyes. He was sweaty with exhaustion and from the mysterious illness that was plaguing him. Halstead and Choi were hovering, silent while running a multitude of tests to diagnosis their friend. The terse, quiet atmosphere of the hospital room was interrupted by Connor's labored breathing, who was lying stiffly on the hospital bed, scrubs on, the blankets in a pile at his feet.

Choi and Halstead exchanged concerned glances when Connor erupted in a small coughing fit, his lungs rattling. When the bout finished, Rhodes landed heavily back in his bed, panting from the exertion.

"That's something you don't want to hear this early," Rhodes attempted to lighten the spirits in the room, joking around with his own plummeting condition. His chuckled transformed into another heaving cough.

Will and Ethan didn't seem to enjoy the humor as much, apparently. Choi's reaction was much more subtle than Will's, his lips pressed in a thin line and worry blazing in his eyes. Halstead, however, outsourced his anger by throwing Rhodes' unoptimistic chart forcefully on the desk and whirled around to face his friend.

"What?" Rhodes asked, pretending to be innocent, "Was it something I said?"

At least Choi smirked at that one, Will continued to find Rhodes' jokes unamusing.

Connor steeled himself best he could in his declining state for Will's certain lecture on how he didn't take something as important as his health seriously. But, thankfully, Manning walked in and saved Connor the trouble.

"I just heard about Rhodes from Maggie and I ran here-" Natalie cut off when she locked eyes with her friend.

She couldn't help but become speechless at how awful her friend looked and the drastic escalation from early yesterday evening till then. He was covered in sweat, yet she noticed the slight shivers he tried to hide from Choi and Halstead. Rhodes looked weak and exhausted, she had heard about his all nighter, and his red-rimmed eyes seemed to confirm it. The pallor of his skin brought out the dark trenches lurking under his eyes, black from many sleepless hours. But, before she looked away, Manning noted that his face was hiding something, probably due to his pride. Almost like he was in pain, but didn't dare to show it…all in all, not a good place to be in.

"In the flesh," Rhodes hoarsely joked, responding to Natalie's abrupt pause, followed by the remnants of a cough. Choi took a step forward in case Connor found himself in need of some help.

"Don't worry," Will addressed Natalie when he spoke sharply, yet his response was actually directed towards Connor, "He's been toying with his condition all day now, he's harmless."

"Will's just mad cause he can't top my sense of humor," Rhodes cleverly shot back, smirking as he did so.

Choi scoffed at his remark.

When Halstead literally turned as red as the color of his hair, Connor asked, "What? Hey, I'm stuck in this bed. At least let me have a little fun while I'm at it."

"Well, you _should_ be resting," Natalie corrected, "what have the tests shown anyways?"

"Nothing yet," Ethan responded, dejectedly, "we're still waiting on the results."

"And you won't find anything, anyways. I'm fine, for the 100th time." Rhodes stated to Ethan and Will's annoyed expressions, a conversation Natalie had surely missed while she was stuck in traffic.

Connor shoved the already jumbled covers towards the very foot of the bed and hastily sat up, swinging his feet over the edge of the bed in a prideful attempt to get up, "You guys should be looking after patients who are actually sick and in need of-"

He couldn't finish the sentence as his knees buckled and he started to sink like a rock to the floor. His previously light hearted expression turned into a blank and empty stare as he grappled for a hold on the bed to steady his fall. And to make things worse, the sudden movements must have irritated his sensitive lungs because Rhodes burst into the worst coughing fit Natalie had seen yet. Luckily, Halstead and Choi were only a few feet away and dove for their friend, who had one arm flailing for a grip on the blankets and the other pressed against his mouth to shield his coughs.

They both caught Rhodes before he fell to the floor, when they lifted him back up, Halstead couldn't help a stinging quip, "Yeah, well looks like we got a pretty sick patient right in front of us to keep ourselves busy with."

Rhodes was barely able to muster a glare before his head toppled back onto the pillow in exhaustion, still holding an arm in front of his face to keep his continuing cough contained.

The trio waited what seemed like ages for his increasingly worse hacking to cease, when it did Connor was drenched in a new coat of sweat. Choi had grabbed a cup of water, meanwhile, and was going to hold it out for Connor so he could effortlessly drink, but Rhodes would not allow him to. He thankfully took the glass from his friend and brought it to his dry mouth.

 _Men_ , Natalie internally rolled her eyes.

"Cough's gotten worse," Will added curtly, jotting down a few more notes in Rhodes' chart, his hand tense with fury and fear.

"Yeah, tell me something I don't know," Rhodes mumbled after he chugged down all the water, Choi refilling the glass. It looked like Connor's humor had escaped him.

Rhodes stiffened on the bed, desperately hoping nobody noticed as black and grey dots danced in his vision and the room started to steadily spin. He closed his eyes in an effort to escape the beginnings of another nasty migraine Connor was all too familiar with. Hell, the last time he encountered one this bad, he passed out, Will there to witness it.

He balled the sheets up in his clenched fists, silently enduring the pain as not to alarm his friends, but his efforts didn't escape everyone's eyes.

"Rhodes, where does it hurt?" Manning demanded, now standing at his side, as she recognized the classic, telltale signs of someone in pain.

Choi and Halstead whirled around, both of them not paying attention to have noticed anything.

"Caught me red-handed," he chuckled, coughing lightly at the end of his question, "Just a little headache is all."

Connor, ever since he was a kid, always had trouble letting people in. He would never tolerate someone seeing him when he was weak or vulnerable, but now some of his closest friends were getting a backstage pass to what easily could've been one of the worst days of Rhodes' life.

Natalie expertly placed the back of her hand on Rhodes' sweaty forehand, immediately stating, "You're burning up." She pursed her lips and subtly draped the covers over her friend. Rhodes didn't have the energy to argue.

"Connor, on a scale of 1-10, how bad is your headache?" Choi routinely asked, voice soft, thankfully, not to disturb his friend's already astounding headache..

"A 4," he nonchalantly answered, just as another, even more grueling wave submerged his head in agony.

"So an 11," Will corrected, knowing his colleague all too well, "Natalie, get a morphine drip going."

"I'm fine, no need-" he cut off in moan as his skull couldn't tolerate the world war it was currently withstanding.

"Your heart rate is way too high," Halstead shook his head in disapproval, his fingers pressed against Connor's wrist who was to out of it to notice, much less protest, "If you didn't always shrug off anything worth noting, maybe someone could've taken action-"

Will's oncoming lecture, though it was more himself speaking aloud his guilt that he let his friend's condition escalate this far, was once again interrupted, this time, however, by another bad bout of coughing on Connor's part.

Manning and Halstead expertly grabbed his shoulders and leaned Connor forward, a method best used for patients in upper respiratory distress, and waited again what felt like years for the coughs to subside. It was brutal to listen to, Rhodes visibly shaking from the effort, and the rattling in his lungs continuing to envelope him.

Only this time, the hacking wasn't followed by a witty joke or snarky comment, but Rhodes staring at his hand in a mixed expression of shock and panic.

"Uh, guys…" he called, hoarsely.

"Holy hell," Choi mumbled under his breath, staring down at Connor in unconfined worry.

Halstead ran out of the room, yelling orders to page every respiratory specialist and pathologists in the hospital to get "their butts down here".

All the while, the three remaining doctors in the room- Choi, Manning, and Rhodes- all stared at the deep red substance staining Connor's scrubs and palms.

Blood.

….


	4. Chapter 4

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Chicago Med or any of the characters. Thanks for all the reviews but I always appreciate more! Enjoy!**

Everyone else was background noise for Rhodes at the moment.

He still lay, in an unmeasurable amount of pain and discomfort, on the hospital bed and blue scrubs still secure-there was no way he was taking those off and putting on a hospital gown.

One thing that was really pissing him off though was the oxygen mask Goodwin and pretty much the whole hospital insisted he wore. Rhodes kept reassuring them he was completely fine without it, but his oxygen stats and another round of bloody coughing convinced them otherwise.

A few of his friends still occupied the ER room, but Goodwin and Halstead were immersed in a conversation he was too out of it to listen to. So he opted for lying on the bed, sweating and shivering at the same time, and trying to keep his bleary eyes open.

For some reason, a few more bouts of coughing left Connor feeling exhausted and in need of a long nap. He hadn't slept in over 35 hours and, as a doctor, hopefully you would think that would raise some red flags.

April came by at one point, but he hardly noticed her check his blood pressure, administer some medication, etc.

She had whispered a few words of encouragement, something about 'staying positive' but he was too tired to comprehend her remark or respond. Rhodes settled for offering a polite nod back.

The mask placed precariously over his nose and mouth offered a much needed flow of oxygen. His lungs were content, the medications were making him numb, and Rhodes couldn't have done anything but welcome the wave of sleep that washed over him.

….

The next time Rhodes snapped out of his deep dozing wasn't so blissful and serene. Rhodes woke with the feeling that his throat was clawing itself from the inside and his lungs were desperately screaming for air. Connor couldn't stop the upcoming fit of coughing that overtook him, shooting straight up in his hospital bed and even leaning over to the edge of it as blood streamed from his mouth.

An ugly sound filled the ER as a thick, hoarse cough of a particular patient resonated throughout the building, followed by the frantic beating of machines. Staff members and nurses, none recognizable to Rhodes, filled his room, jumping into action upon seeing him bending over his bed, coughing up blood into a waste basket he held close to his mouth.

Dr. Charles was the only familiar face that ran into the trauma room Rhodes was occupying, racing in when he heard the distress Connor was in.

Connor himself could barely speak as coughs ravaged through him, the oxygen mask he was wearing smeared with blood and strewn on the bed.

Rhodes glanced up, eyes in full fledge panic, when he saw the incoming staff run in, nurses replacing the garbage can with a bed pan and trying everything to stop his lungs from rebelling. When he saw Dr. Charles run in, he sputtered in between coughs, "Where's…Will? …G-Goodwin?"

The new doses of medication and breathing treatments the doctor on call, unfamiliar to Connor, was prescribing started to ease his coughing, yet it still lingered, causing his breathing to remain uneven. Dr. Charles responded calmly, hoping to calm Rhodes as well, "They all went on break, but I just paged them. They had been here keeping an eye on you while you were sleeping, but lo and behold the minute they leave…"

Dr. Charles chuckled at the end, trying to lighten Rhodes' mood, who was lying uncomfortably on the bed. The nurses and white coats that had filled the room by the dozens started to thin out, leaving only a nurse or two behind.

"Any…tests results…come…back?" Connor couldn't help but take deep breaths between every few words, trying to compensate for the harsh coughing fit he just battled.

"Yes, actually," Daniel grabbed Connor's chart, which he had found astray on the back table. After a moment of scanning he concluded, "Well, Dr. Rhodes, looks like the windy weather outside hasn't been treating you too well. By the looks of it, you have a severe upper respiratory infection."

Rhodes groaned and lay back on the pillow, the more high-tech oxygen mask they had secured on his face fogging up from his sigh of resignation.

Just then, he heard a loud commotion outside, a voice yelling orders in every which way (someone sounding particularly familiar to a certain Will Halstead) and the group of doctors ran in. Ethan, Sharon, Natalie, and Will all stood in the doorway with panicked expressions.

Twenty questions flew at Connor.

"What happened?"

"How do you feel?"

"Do you know where you are?"

"Do you feel nauseous?"

And the last inquiry concluded by Mrs. Goodwin: "What are you doing here, Dr. Charles?"

Daniel took a step forward and explained, "Well, I rushed in as soon as I saw the horde of doctors and nurses swarm around our friend, Dr. Rhodes here."

He gestured at Connor who, especially after that last huge coughing fit, had his head laid back on the pillow in complete exhaustion.

Natalie walked up to Rhodes and sympathetically said, "We're so sorry we weren't here," she motioned to Choi, Goodwin, Halstead, and her, "But are you feeling any better?"

Rhodes barley rasped back, "Never…better."

She pursed her lips.

"Looks like the doctor on call already started you on antibiotics, that should help clear up the infection and hopefully stop that nasty cough," Choi explained to Rhodes.

Connor held his oxygen mask away from his face for a moment and indignantly questioned, "You.. all know.. I… went to med school too… right?"

"What he's trying to say," Will annoyingly placed the mask back on when he noticed Connor's breathing hitch, "is that you should be better in a few days once the antibiotics kick in."

Rhodes coughed once before nodding, wanting nothing more than to sleep off his major headache and catch up on some much needed napping.

Sharon checked her watch, noting that it was getting late, before remarking, "Dr. Rhodes, I don't feel comfortable discharging you and having you stay alone for the night, and I'm sure every doctor in this room agrees with me. But you're more than welcome to spend the night upstairs in the ICU. I can get you moved-"

"No! No…that won't…be necessary," Rhodes tried to politely decline, but he had cut her off mid-sentence and practically yelled in defiance. He couldn't help it, he would do _anything_ than spend the night here.

Sharon only smiled before saying, "Well, alright then. But you're sure as hell not sleeping in my ER! We're a hospital, not a bed and breakfast," she teased before exiting for the night.

Dr. Charles, content that Connor's friends and doctors were present to keep an eye on him, also threw in the towel. He offered his help at anytime and wished everyone a good night before leaving.

"Well, Goodwin's right," Choi announced, only Rhodes, Halstead, and Manning left in the trauma room, the entire ER preparing for the night shift, "There's no way you're on your own tonight."

"I agree," Will immediately followed, "Someone better keep an eye on you in case, you know, you faint again."

Rhodes only glared at Halstead, but it didn't really have the same effect when you were trapped in the hospital, sweaty and pale, with a mask breathing for you.

Connor lifted the oxygen mask from his face to speak again, "Guys, don't worry about me. I'll be perfectly fine-"

Natalie interjected, "No, I'm putting my foot down on this one too. Unless, of course…you want a family member to stay with you during the night."

Rhodes stiffened, she had reached delicate territory.

Connor's eyes dimmed at the thought of a certain 'Cornelius Rhodes' making another lovely appearance at the hospital, along with all the stinging comments and criticisms to come. Boy, did the thought of his dad only work wonders on his headache.

Will quickly changed the subject once he sensed the tension, "Well, looks like one of us is crashing at your place tonight."

Connor's eyes immediately widened at the thought, removing his mask to respond, but Choi cut him off, "I wish I could, but I'm working the 3am shift, it won't be worth it for me to stay only half the night, with no one to keep tabs on Connor for most of it."

"Me too," Manning frowned, "I can't leave Owen home alone all night."

At first, Rhodes relaxed on his bed, happy that their crazy idea wasn't panning out, but after process of elimination, that only left one candidate.

 _No._

"So…should I take the couch?" Halstead smiled.

…..


	5. Chapter 5

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Chicago Med or any of the characters. Sorry for the extremely long update! I've been so insanely busy, but I hope you all enjoy!**

There was a tough bout of coughing before Rhodes unlocked the door to his small, but luxurious apartment. He pushed the dirty scrubs blocking the door away with his foot as he and Will stepped through the threshold, the late night air blowing in a cold, stormy breeze.

Connor quickly shut the door to keep the heat in, gesturing to the messy living room, "So, you can sleep on the sofa if you want, or I have a blow up mattress if you would rather prefer that." Rhodes tried coughing in his sleeve as if to hide it from Halstead.

Will laid his backpack on the floor, both doctors still dressed in their scrubs and heavy coats, "Whatever's easier."

"Both of them are easy, you can be picky," Rhodes remarked as he made his way into the kitchen, pale in the dim light, "You hungry? I have some Mexican leftovers from the corner, or I can order something. You choose."

"Whatever's easi-" Will started.

"If you say whatever's easier I will lock you out," Connor said, sighing out of exhaustion, "What are you in the mood for. Italian? Indian?"

The mention of such heavy meals made Rhodes' stomach churn, but he wasn't going to eat tonight, anyways. His stomach wouldn't let him without the contents making a reappearance later that night.

"Chinese anywhere nearby?"

"Why do you think I moved to this area?" Rhodes wheezed in between speaking, "There's a different restaurant for everyday of the week."

"Huh, maybe I should keep an eye open for any apartments open for rent?" Will teased, chuckling upon seeing Rhodes face embody an expression of horror.

Realization dawned on Connor that his guest was giving him a hard time, quickly shooting him a glare before scribbling the name of the Chinese place on a note-pad, lightly coughing. In actuality, Connor was feeling worse and worse. After a tiring day, one where he collapsed, coughed up blood, was poked and prodded, all he wanted to do was lie down on his bed and sleep for a week.

Rhodes handed Halstead the note, saying, "Go two blocks down and take a right. You can't miss it."

Halstead thanked him and took the note from Rhodes' hand. Although he didn't want to say anything aloud, he noticed Connor's quick descent when they first stepped into his apartment. His movements were getting more sluggish, eyes bloodshot, and his cough slowly becoming more agitating.

Will was quick to leave Rhodes alone, give the guy his privacy. He knew Connor was more reserved when it came to emotions, thanks to a crappy childhood. More specifically a crappy father. He had only heard snippets of the evil man that was Cornelius Rhodes, yet Will still hadn't had the pleasure of meeting him.

Like Connor said, the place wasn't too hard to find. The streets more or less empty due to the late hour. Will checked his watch, it was past midnight. At least, they didn't have a shift too early the next morning.

Arriving back to the apartment, stomach grumbling in its desire for Kung-Pao Chicken, Will opened the door quietly, unsure if Rhodes was asleep or not. He found out that he wasn't, to Will's surprise. The guy looked like he was going to pass out before he left, but upon seeing him now, Rhodes looked like death with some scrubs on.

He was lying down on the couch, shoes on the sofa, with his head resting on a pillow. The TV was playing an old black noir rerun, but Connor looked far from paying attention to it. He was sweating, which didn't help the pallor of his skin, yet the brisk, night air and Rhodes' intense shivering indicated he wasn't warm, rather freezing.

Will worriedly set the bag on a table and knelt down next to Connor, whose eyes were squeezed shut, and quietly said, "Hey Connor, it's me. You doing, okay?"

Rhodes immediately straightened up, hastily getting to his feet, causing him to sway from the sudden motion.

Halstead grabbed Connor's arm to steady him, but Rhodes shrugged his gesture of help off, quickly saying, "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Just shut my eyes for a second."

He looked like he was going to hurl. But Will didn't say anything, knowing that Connor having a babysitter for the night was already uncomfortable for him.

Connor immediately changed the subject as he stepped away from the couch, wiping away some of the sweat from his brow, "So, you find the place okay?"

"Yeah," Halstead suspiciously replied, knowing there was more happening than what Rhodes was letting on, "I got some eggrolls, do you want some?"

Connor's stomach lurched, eggrolls was not the answer.

"No, I'm actually going to hit the hay," Rhodes responded, wanting to lie down as soon as possible so the room would stop spinning, "The couch good for you?"

"Yeah, no problem."

Rhodes receded into his bedroom, closing the door, and his eyes closed before his head even hit the pillow.

…..

A loud crash woke Will up in the middle of the night. With only his puffy jacket as a blanket, Halstead was unceremoniously sprawled on the sofa, his legs spilling over the edge. But a sudden bang resonated throughout the room, causing Will to jump from his makeshift bed for the night.

The rest of the apartment was dark, except for the smallest tendrils of light spilling from underneath the door of Rhodes' room.

Halstead wasn't taking any chances. Running towards the source of the noise that woke him up, Will burst through Rhodes' bedroom door only to find an empty bed, covers strewn carelessly across the mattress.

"Connor!" he called, not seeing his friend anywhere in sight.

The only response he got was another crash from what appeared to be the bathroom. Will was getting very worried at this point, throwing open the restroom door, light flooding his eyes. As his eyes adjusted, he yelled, "Connor!" at what he saw.

Connor Rhodes was heap on the bathroom floor, still dressed in his now soiled scrubs and jacket he was wearing last night. He was as pale as a corpse, and Halstead didn't think it was a trick of the light. The two loud noises he had heard must have been the sound of glass breaking because there were broken shards littering the floor, what must have been a cup of water and a cologne bottle.

He was lying there, on the floor, as he vomited bright red blood into the toilet. Rhodes looked bedraggled and delirious, the sweat pouring off of him a silent indication of how high his fever must be.

Will immediately sprung into action, grasping Rhodes' limp wrist and detecting a sluggish heartbeat.

Connor moaned and looked up at Halstead in misery, his face was distorted in pain just as he puked up more bloody bile.

Halstead didn't hesitate whipping out his phone and dialing 911.

"Hello, my name is Dr. Will Halstead, emergency attending at Gaffney Medical Center," he urgently filled in the 911 line, reciting the address and situation, "...yes...yes...I believe he's suffering from a pulmonary embolism. Temperature is high, I would infer about 103 or above, skin signs are cool and clammy. He was just discharged from the hospital today but we need an ambulance here, stat."

The operator asked him routine questions while he bent over Connor, doing a preliminary trauma assessment for his own accord. Rhodes was pretty much out of it, coughing blood throughout the whole process.

"The ambulance is on its way, please stay on the line, sir," the woman continuously repeated.

Rhodes looked around in panic, his breaths coming out in short, sharp gasps. Will put on a calm expression, but the worry in him was overwhelming, "The ambulance is on its way, Rhodes. Don't worry, everything is going to be fine."

Will didn't know if he was saying that for him or for Connor.

The sirens of the ambulance could be heard outside, Halstead cursing under his breath that the emergency services seemed to be taking their sweet time.

Then, he felt a grip on his wrist and he turned to see Rhodes pulling Will to face him. At first, Halstead thought he was just in a delusional trance, unable to make out his gasps for air. Yet, he soon realized Rhodes was, unsuccessfully, trying to utter something to him, using up the last bit of oxygen his lungs could attain.

"C-call, call-l, Cl-Clai-re-e," Rhodes hardly sputtered, coughing up red as he did.

Just then, his eyes rolled in the back of his head and he fell to the ground, his chest heaving for a resupply of oxygen.

"Connor!" Will reached for his friend's head, not wanting to add a head injury to this mess, "Rhodes! Stay with me, buddy. The ambulance is here."

He wasn't sure if Connor could hear him in his unconscious state.

"Medic!" Will screamed down the stairs of the apartment complex as he heard loud footsteps pounding in their direction, "I need a medic!"

….


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own Chicago Med or any of the characters. Here it is! (after way too long of an update, I apologize) and for all those fans out there asking for Cornelius Rhodes, I think you'll be pleased! Please review and enjoy!**

….

The world was a whirlwind for Connor. Flashing lights flew in and out of his foggy vision. He felt his body was on air as he deliriously attempted to take in his surroundings. He knew he was on a gurney and those loud sirens had to be coming from an ambulance…was that Halstead yelling at some EMTs?

That was just about everything Rhodes could put together as his lungs struggled to suck in oxygen, causing his mind to flounder in its hypoxic state.

"Rhodes!" a distant voice calling his name somehow snapped him back to his delirious reality. He squinted his eyes, and in his foggy vision found a familiar face checking his pupil movements by flashing a light in his eyes.

"Rhodes, it's me! Ethan!" Choi started Connor's evaluation as the ambulance arrived at the ED. Ethan had relieved Will of his duty, Halstead heading straight to Goodwin's office to inform her of Rhodes' current condition.

The time on Choi's watch read 6:07 am, his shifted starting less than 10 minutes ago.

Connor was completely out of it during Ethan's assessment, the poor guy was more gone than a drug addict. His fever had reached dangerous levels and the first thing Choi ordered as they situated into the trauma room was an immediate application of fluids to help bring his temperature down.

Rhodes was sluggish in his movements, which greatly reflected in his vitals-his oxygen levels on the lower end of the "healthy" numbers. And that was only because he had a nonrebreather assisting him.

"Connor, can you take a deep breath for me?" Choi attempted to ask his semi-alert friend, laying on a hospital bed for the second time in 24 hours. Rhodes somehow registered the sentence because he, or better said tried to, take a thorough breath only to end in him doubling over and hacking.

Nurses standing by immediately brought a bedpan for Connor to cough and expel the fluid in his lungs in. It was a poor sight, and Choi couldn't even imagine how much Connor was going to hate himself for this in the longrun.

After a half hour of extensive treatment to get Rhodes' breathing even and level, Choi finally closed the door to his sleeping friend's room and wiped the sweat off his brow. It was close to 6:40 am now and he was ready to throw in the towel.

Yet, a commotion from the doors of the waiting room perked his interest and he saw the slim figure of Claire Rhodes, Connor's sister, storm into the emergency department with a security guard trying in vain to slow her down. Claire's expression revealed she was having none of it, a stern, serious expression plastered on the face. The female version of Connor.

Ethan immediately moved towards them, "Whoa, whoa!" he relieved the security guard, "it's alright she's with me."

The security guard was deeply confused, almost hightailing it back home when Claire added, "and you're lucky I didn't call my lawyer!"

When she turned and faced Ethan, he addressed her, "Claire, so good to see you, but I'm afraid not under these circumstances."

"How is he?" her previously curt expression melted into one of worry and deep caring.

"Stable for now, though he's still pretty much out of it. We gave him a sedative to let his body rest and so far he's responding well to the breathing treatment. I assume Sharon called you and informed you of the situation?"

"Yes, and I came as soon as I heard. I was on my way to the store..ugh I wish Connor would tell me these things!" she stamped her foot in frustration, momentarily mad at her brother, yet only because she was worried about him.

"Well," Choi smirked, "I don't really see Connor as the "opening up about his feelings" type. Good thing Dr. Halstead was there to keep an eye on him."

"Connor doesn't like to admit it," Claire smiled fondly, "but he appreciates Will's friendship. As do I as it seems he's the only one who's keeping him alive."

Claire's phone rang, causing her to close her eyes in fury and let out a sigh of frustration. She knew who it was.

"What's wrong? Bad news?" Choi asked, confused.

"You can say that," she chuckled in exhaustion, "It's dad. He says he's on his way."

…..


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own Chicago Med or any of the characters. Update! Enjoy and please review!**

"We can't tell him."

"We have to! It's his dad, after all…right?"

"Everyone calm down, Rhodes isn't even awake for us to decide if we should tell him or not. Right now let's focus on keeping him alive."

The huddled group of doctors at the nurses' station, Choi, Manning, and Halstead, were confused, sleep deprived, and most of all nervous. Cornelius Rhodes was on his way to the hospital as they spoke.

"I still don't think we should tell Connor," Halstead said, "Hell, I don't think we should even let his dad see him. You know how much Rhodes hates the guy."

"We can't not let him," Manning inputted, "he's family and it's against the law!"

Both Will and Natalie turned to Ethan, searching for support for each of their own, unique arguments.

Choi, the voice of reason, again reminded the two that Rhodes' own health was by far the priority, the rest was a decision none of them were capable or had the authority to make.

That seemed to quiet Halstead and Manning, Choi walking away to check on their fallen friend.

He approached Connor's room, Claire keeping vigil at her brother's bedside. Rhodes still hadn't woken up since being wheeled in early that morning. Choi glanced at his clock, it read 1:27 pm. Connor had been sound asleep for almost 8 hours now, due to the heavy medication and sedatives being administered. The poor guy needed it, Will had filled them all in that Connor had been furiously hacking all night.

The nonrebreather was still secure over his mouth and nose, delivering the oxygen his lungs so desperately needed. The color had returned to his lips, no longer indicating he was hypoxic. Claire had a tight grip on her brother's hand, making her presence known. Ethan always admired the relationship they shared. Both grew up in unimaginable grief, with a dictatorial father and suicidal mother. It was something neither of them could forget.

Claire glanced up when Ethan entered; he smiled warmly at her to reveal his optimism at Connor's condition.

"Hello again," Choi said in a low voice, not wanting to wake up his sleeping colleague, "How's everybody doing in here?"

Claire sighed in exhaustion, she had been seated in the uncomfortable, hospital chair for hours now.

"Good, but he hasn't woken up yet," she responded, dejectedly.

"I wouldn't be too worried. With the amount of medication he's getting and the rest his body needs, he should be out for a few more hours still."

"Well, then I don't think he'd be too mad if I went and grabbed a cup of coffee," she sat up, stifling a yawn as she spoke.

"With a dedicated sister like you? Not at all." Choi said, closing the door to Rhodes' room as they exited.

"Wow, everyone looks tense," Claire commented as she looked around the ED, nurses and orderlies running around, "That's what happens when Cornelius Rhodes makes a surprise appearance."

Ethan chuckled, "Yeah, well, a few of us are debating if we should even let him in through the front doors."

"If it were up to me, I wouldn't let him either," Claire laughed, "But unfortunately, when you pay for the hospital, you get what you want."

Choi just groaned, not wanting to be reminded of who was the benefactor of the place he loved to work at. He was surprised Rhodes Sr. didn't have blown-up portraits of himself on the wall.

The two chit-chatted for around a half hour, they had known each other since Connor first came through the doors, performing CPR on a mobile gurney, but hadn't seen each other in a few months and decided to catch up. The entire hospital was waiting for the arrival of Cornelius Rhodes, Ethan could only imagine the amount of stress Mrs. Goodwin was under at the moment.

….

Around 45 minutes later, Claire and Choi, joined by Natalie as she passed the pair, were sitting in the cafeteria, enjoying the good company and conversation. But the relaxing afternoon soon changed tides when an ED nurse came sprinting through the entryway, her eyes desperately searching. All three stood up immediately, having a good instinct as to what the nurse came running in for. The nurse's frantic eyes met Ethan's and she made her way towards him.

"Dr. Choi!" she huffed, out of breath.

"Yes? What's wrong?" he asked, concerned.

Claire had a worried expression on her face.

"It's Dr. Rhodes, he's woken up," the nurse delivered her message.

"What?!" Choi shouted, outraged, "he's not supposed to be up for hours yet!"

He bolted for the ED, followed suit by the rest.

….

Bursting through Rhodes door, Choi let out an immediate sigh of relief when he saw Dr. Halstead, standing by Connor and checking his BP, looked up in bewilderment.

"Whoa," Rhodes, confused at the commotion that entered his room, "What's the cavalry for?"

"Connor!" a shout came from the back of the crowd of nurses and doctors, struggling to make her way to the front.

Rhodes, not believing the voice he heard, said in amazement, " _Claire?_ "

Claire Rhodes had at last pushed her way to her brother's bed and buried him in a hug before hitting his arm.

"Ow! What was that for?" Connor asked.

"Don't ever stop breathing again!" she chastised him, as if it was purposefully done.

"Okay, can I get the room clear, please?" Will's question was more of a demand.

The tiny, hospital room finally cleared, leaving only Natalie, Will, Ethan, Claire, and Connor, lying on the bed.

He definitely looked much better, but it was going to take a few more good night sleeps to get the heavy bags clear from under his eyes.

Will finished his work up, keeping a nasal cannula on Connor to keep his delicate O2 stats stable.

Rhodes could feel the tensions hanging heavy in the air however, prompting him to ask, "Okay, did someone die? What's going on?"

Halstead and Natalie simultaneously blurted, "Nothing!"

Choi stepped up to the plate, looking at Claire who nodded at him in approval.

"Ethan," Connor was getting irritated now, "tell me what's happening."

"Well, when Claire heard about your accident this morning, she took off work to get here." Ethan started, yet was reluctant to continue.

"Okay…and?" Connor said, tired of the games everyone was playing.

"S-she had to tell the store something…" Natalie tried to lift the weight off of Choi's shoulder, but didn't want to be the one to give the news either.

"Yes?" Connor was on the brink of yelling for answers.

Claire spoke this time, knowing it was her place to say something, "Connor, he's coming."

Realization dawned on Rhodes, a knot building in his stomach, but he asked anyways, "Who?"

"Dad."

….


	8. Chapter 8

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Chicago Med or any of the characters. Thanks for the reviews, I always appreciate the comments!**

….

"No, no, no," Connor said, frustrated, as he threw the hospital sheets off of him and ripped the heart detector from his finger.

"Connor, hang on," Claire tried to reason with him, "You stopped breathing this morning and barely got the hang of it again an hour ago. Lie down for a second!"

Both Rhodes locked blue eyes in an epic staring contest. The rest of the staff in the room stayed silent, knowing if they spoke they would feel the wrath of Connor and Claire.

"Claire, I will not be here when _he_ comes. We can't stand 10 feet within each other without an argument following." Connor tore the nasal cannula off of him, still in the same scrubs from last night.

"Look, I don't want him here as much as you do. But he's coming, and if he doesn't get what he wants you know what happens." Claire warned.

"Yeah, a team of lawyers and a lawsuit," Halstead slyly murmured, met with glares from both the Rhodes siblings.

There was a long moment of silence, Connor sitting up in the hospital bed, thinking.

"When's he supposed to be here?" Connor couldn't look Claire in the eyes, too furious to even speak.

She looked to the ground, unable and unwilling to respond.

Rhodes' eyes shot up, blazing. "Claire, when is he coming?" Connor was close to shouting.

"Any minute," Natalie spoke instead, somberly.

Connor's eyes flew to her, anguish, anger, and a million other emotions swimming in them.

Manning met Rhodes' gaze unnervingly; Connor always kept up a facade when it came to his emotions, his dad's oncoming arrival obviously striking a deep chord within him.

"If he's coming, then there's no way you're keeping me in this room in a bed like this," Connor said, knowing there wasn't a thing in the world that was going to change that.

"But-" Ethan started, though he knew it was futile to try and reason with Rhodes.

"No." came Connor's curt reply, "But, contrary to popular belief, I'm not completely unreasonable."

Halstead couldn't help but roll his eyes.

Connor shot him a nasty look in response, "What I meant was I won't stay in this bed, not with _him_ around, but that doesn't mean I have to stray too far from the machines."

There was a glint in his eyes, something spontaneous that rubbed off on everyone else in the room. Connor's idea dawning on them as well.

Will sighed, shaking his head, "It's crazy. One hundred percent insane….but I'll go get Goodwin."

…

After a lot of persuasion, begging, and some backstory about the situation from Connor, Goodwin cracked. She signed off on his chart, along with a more than cooperative Dr. Charles to approve of Rhodes' mental health. The signatures indicated that it was "healthy" for Rhodes to be off the breathing machines for a small window of time.

With his lab coat on and a fresh, new pair of surgical scrubs, Connor almost felt like everything was back to normal. Almost.

He noticed Dr. Charles, although very helpful this entire time, hovering over Connor. Watching his behavior from afar. Everyone knew that Connor had "daddy issues", no one ever mentioned Cornelius Rhodes' name around him.

And the last thing Rhodes would ever do is open about it, but there was no shaking the shrink off.

"Connor!" a frantic voice called from behind him, snapping him away from his thoughts. He saw Claire's nervous figure approaching him, knowing what it meant.

"He's here."

….

Sharon was all smiles as she saw the person she least respected in the entire world emerge from his expensive, black limousine.

"Cornelius," she said through a fake smile, "How nice to see you again."

"Goodwin, likewise," though Sharon knew he could care less, "Where is he?"

"He's with a patient actually, quite busy at the moment." she hurried to catch up to him and his posse's strict form as they brashly entered the ED.

"A patient?" Cornelius turned on her, "Isn't he the patient?"

"You're son's doing very well, thanks for asking," there was no more Mrs. Nice Girl, "and at the moment he's unable to see you. But the waiting room is open if you find yourself more comfortable in there."

Intense glares must run in the family because Rhodes Sr. shot Goodwin a harsh, nasty stare. She didn't flinch.

Trying to maintain the dignity he had left in the situation, he motioned for his security to follow and disappeared into the waiting room.

….

"This is stupid. Idiotic! As a medical professional, I cannot follow through with this," Halstead chastised Rhodes' slouched form, the crash cart he was leaning on bearing most of his weight.

Connor was pale, clammy, and took deep, desperate breaths from the nonrebreather in his hand. He was panting, the scurrying and preparing for Cornelius' arrival in the last hour catching up to him.

"I'm…f-fine…" he took another breath.

Will pressed two fingers to Rhodes' wrist, who didn't have the energy to shoo him away.

"That's it, I'm getting a trauma room open." Halstead tried looking for an available staff member to help him.

"No!" Connor grabbed Will's arm, "Please…I'm just going to see him, prove to him….then, you can do whatever you want."

Halstead saw the pleading in Connor's eyes, a friend begging a friend for help.

Will sighed, and Connor breathed in relief, taking one last, deep breath of oxygen before putting it down.

It was time to go face his father.

…

After a little bit of Maggie and Natalie's magic, Connor was looking less on the brink of death and at least seeing straight. He was going to go in, address his dad, and get out.

Swiftly walking through the ED, he saw big men in black suits huddled in the waiting room; he knew exactly who they worked for.

"Hello, Dad." it was the only sentence Connor could muster without collapsing from dizziness, stealthily grabbing the handle of one of the waiting room chairs for leverage.

"Connor," Cornelius Rhodes stood up and checked his son up and down, his gaze level with Connor's, "From what they told me, I could've sworn I was going to be picking out your headstone by the evening."

Rhodes didn't smile, just turned around to head back into the ED, his father close behind, "You never lost that great sense of humor."

"Where's Claire?" was the only response, his pace matching Connor's brisk one. Even in step, Cornelius tried everything to establish his superiority over Connor.

Rhodes stopped in his tracks in response, checking the chart in his hand,"Why are you here? Picking up on your fatherly duties 20 years too late?"

Although his sarcasm stayed strong, Rhodes could feel the fluid flood his lungs. A strange sensation of drowning in your own body, and boy it hurt like hell. Yet, he didn't let a single, loose emotion escape his cement expression. And so far, his dad was buying it.

"What? A man can't check on his apparently dying son?" he mocked, chuckling.

"Cut the crap, dad." Connor was all business, wanting to get away from this conversation as soon as possible, "Either tell me what you want or you leave."

"I own half the hospital, son. Even in chains, you couldn't drag me out of here," there was an evil glint in Cornelius' eye. He was enjoying this.

"Fine. I'll leave," Connor stepped past him, panting when he was facing away from his father. He need oxygen, now. And he knew all of his eavesdropping colleagues surrounding the Rhodes' were aware of it as well.

"Connor, wait-" his father gripped his shoulder, making Connor's stomach churn.

"Dad!" a voice called from behind.

Rhodes prayed in thanks and relief as Claire approached, two cups of coffee in her hand. She handed one over to her father, diving into a random conversation, and snatched the attention away from her brother in order for him to make his escape. Connor never realized how good of a sister she was.

He noiselessly exited the conversation, breathing deep, lungfuls of air, with no relief. It was as if all the oxygen in him was dissipating, leaving him in a suffocating state.

Connor launched himself into the farthest trauma room from the rest of his family, luckily the one Choi and Manning were eavesdropping from. Upon entering, he crashed onto the bed, holding his chest, breathing extremely hard. His two friend immediately sprang into action.

"O2 stats are in the seventies. Someone get me a bag valve mask and a chest tube!" Choi ordered as more nurses filled the room, swimming in and out of Rhodes' vision.

The world was blurry and surreal at this point, black dots dancing all around him. He was aware of various injections being administered through his IV and April placing herself at the top of his head, a bag-valve mask secure in her hand.

The last thing Connor processed before unconsciousness took hold of him was the exploding waves of fluid crashing against his chest cavity.


	9. Chapter 9

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Chicago Med or any of the characters.** FINAL CHAPTER **Thanks for all the great reviews and an incredible audience! I added a little more emotional bits since many people requested it, nothing too much :) Check out some of the other Chicago Med fics I've written!**

"I advise against it, sir. As Connor's doctor-" a voice in the distance slowly filled the blackness Rhodes was currently consumed in, along with the soft buzzing of various hospital equipment.

"Thank you then, doctor." A harsh, authoritative voice cut off the former, a voice that made Connor shiver even in unconsciousness.

"Then as his friend, Mr. Rhodes, I must insist Connor stay in a medically induced coma for at least a few more hours until his vitals stabilize!" the person arguing his father, a voice sounding more and more like Will Halstead, continued.

'We'd like a second opinion," was Cornelius' curt reply. There was no argument there.

"Sir! You can't just-" Halstead was outraged as Cornelius tore the hospital blankets from Connor, exposing his arm where multiple lines were inserted to administer the medicine keeping him under.

"Watch me." Cornelius growled, a malicious glint in his eyes, "Nurse!"

Except if there was one person who was stubborn enough to battle Cornelius Rhodes, _the_ major hospital investor, it was Halstead. There was a shuffling out the door as Will exited, fuming, and a plan formulating in his mind.

A nurse entered upon the elder Rhodes' request, confused.

"Wake him up." Cornelius harshly demanded, staring straight ahead at his comatose son.

"What?" the nurse wore the same outraged expression as Halstead, "Sir, I can't-"

"Wake him up or it's your job on the line," he flashed her a threatening glare as the nurse obeyed, pushing various drugs into his IV.

Connor was only dimly aware of his surroundings, but they slowly came into view in his hazy vision after several minutes. Rhodes' cracked eyelids were sensitive to the light and his thoughts weren't coherent enough to register the situation unfolding around him, most likely the after effects of heavy medication. Yet, as he slowly came to, the pressure sitting on his lungs intensified and began to burn. He shifted uncomfortably in his bed, his face scrunched up in pain.

"What is going on here?!" a furious, female voice boomed into the room, harsh on Connor's delicate senses.

"Sheriff Sharon," Cornelius mocked, chuckling as Will joined her in Connor's hospital room, "It's my right."

"Thank you, Cathy," Goodwin dismissed the frightened nurse, who stopped pumping Rhodes full of medicine to wake him up, from Cornelius' control, Sharon's eyes blazing in anger.

They watched as Connor receded into a deep and undisturbed unconsciousness.

Turning to Connor's father she replied, "And no, it's not your right. You can't just force an innocent staff member to break the law here, or did you want to see my friends down at PD make a surprise appearance this afternoon?"

Cornelius took all her threats lightly, as if a harmless fly was buzzing in annoyance, "You can't keep my son here, he's fine. He's a Rhodes."

"Your son, Mr. _Rhodes_ ," Halstead hissed the man's name in front of him, "has suffered major respiratory and lung trauma, you can't even be Hercules to bounce back from that in a matter of hours."

"Dad?" an innocent voice sounded in the doorway, "What's going on here?"

It was Claire, Cornelius sighed in annoyance that he had to deal with his daughter now too.

"Nothing, sweetheart," her father addressed, "Just taking care of some business is all. Go back to the cafeteria."

Claire had lived a lifetime under the control of her dictatorial father, yet she wouldn't bow down to his commands with her brother's life on the line.

Agitated she stood in front of him, forcing him to make eye contact with her, "Whatever it is, it's my business too."

The smolder in her eyes was enough to shut him up for a minute, but he shot her a "We'll talk about this later" glare. Ignoring it, she turned towards Goodwin and Halstead, asking with concern, "How's he doing?"

They all involuntarily glanced at Connor's limp form on the hospital bed, tubes and wires sticking out in every direction, covering the proud surgeon.

Goodwin smiled sympathetically and said, "Much better, his stats are improving every hour we keep him on the ventilator. Just a little bit longer, and he should be good as new."

Claire huffed in relief, moving towards her unconscious brother. She turned towards her father and said, eyes blazing and tone defensive, "We're good here. You can go."

Cornelius truthfully looked taken aback in Will's eyes, no one, especially not his own children in which he so diligently pushed away throughout the years, talked to him like that.

Recovering in seconds, he cleared his throat and put on a routine smile, but everyone in the room could see the cracks.

"Sharon, others," Will fumed as he realized Cornelius didn't even bother with remembering his name, "Pleasure as always. Claire, expect lots of work at the office when you get back."

His eyes were dark when he addressed his daughter before he exited the room.

Halstead was the one to break the silence, finally letting loose his pent up anger at Connor and Claire's terrible father.

"He didn't even ask how his own son was doing!" Will rambled in outrage, "I swear he only wanted to wake Rhodes up just to rub it in his face."

Claire sighed, her expression unreadable, "I'm a professional when it comes to dealing with Cornelius Rhodes, Connor was just lucky enough he got away before he was recruited into working with him."

Claire looked down at Rhodes' still form, still put under while his body rested and vitals improved.

"Well, we're not all perfect," Sharon stated, trying to lighten the somber mood in the room, "Come get me if there's anything you need, Claire, okay?"

"Thanks, Sharon," Claire smiled weakly in response, setting up shop next to Connor until he would be woken up.

Will saw this as his cue to leave too, leaving the Rhodes siblings alone in the room.

…..

Once again, Rhodes found himself on a hospital bed. And hated it.

Groggily Connor looked around him, hazily seeing many faces peering down around him. His eyes stayed out of focus, however, for a few more minutes and he slowly began to register his surroundings. His brain felt mushy and slow, taking him a while to put some thoughts together. Slowly, he recognized the faces around him.

 _Claire, Natalie, Ethan, Will…_

"Ever heard of a personal bubble?" Connor groaned and mumbled at his friends, his cracked eyelids revealing dazed, blue eyes.

"And he's back," Choi smirked, stepping back, "Good to see you awake, man."

"You have to talk so loud?" he was still barely waking up and all of his senses were on high alert.

Rhodes' hoarse voice even surprised himself, Natalie must have picked up on it since she said, "The respiratory specialist came in about an hour ago to take you off the ventilator once your vitals stabilized."

He nodded, his muddled brain beginning to process at a normal speed.

"Dad left too, by the way," Claire started, the rest of the room fell quiet.

Rhodes looked at his sister with an intense gaze, both of them sharing unspoken words in their locked eyes that no one else would understand.

Connor nodded once more in understanding, before ripping the sheets draped on him, swinging his legs over the hospital bed. Thank goodness his friends left him in his scrubs, Connor wouldn't be caught dead in a gown.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Halstead cried, everyone stepping forward to keep Rhodes where he was, "Where do you think you're going?"

"Out of here," Connor said back, stating it as if it should of been obvious. He ripped out the IVs in his arm, Choi wincing at that.

"Connor, you've only just woken up!" Claire said, trying to hold her much bigger, stronger brother down but with no success.

"You need to rest," Manning urged in agreement, "People in your condition need days of it before getting back on their feet."

"I'll rest at home," Rhodes was adamant to get out of here, unsteadily getting to his feet.

"Yeah, because we saw how well that went last time," Halstead retorted, "You're not going anywhere. You so much as leave this room and I'm getting Goodwin and security in here."

Rhodes looked Halstead dead in the eyes, trying to see if Will was in anyway bluffing. Yet, his friend looked determined to uphold his word after taking down one Rhodes so far that day. Will was on a roll, and because of that, Connor quietly sat back down.

A small smirk dotted the corner of Will's mouth, relishing in his small victory against the infamously stubborn Connor.

…..

"Halstead wasn't lying when he said security," Connor resentfully glanced towards the eavesdropping guard posted at his hospital room's entryway.

"Well, with your rep, I'm surprised he didn't call all of PD," Claire added, smiling at her brother's frustration.

"Great, just what I need. Two Halsteads," Rhodes rolled his eyes and sat back in his chair, he refused to sit in the hospital bed any longer.

"You've got two more hours to go and then you're all free," Claire said, Connor anxious to get his breathing treatments done and his observation over with so he could become doctor once more, not the patient.

Rhodes groaned, those two hours were going to feel like eternity. The siblings were quiet for a moment, until Claire piped up, "So…you talked to Dad. How'd that go?"

Rhodes shot her a warning glance. She was stepping into dangerous territory.

She glared back at him in response, "I'm serious, are things alright with you and him?"

"What do you think, Claire?" Connor was becoming agitated, even the mere subject of his father pulled on some sensitive strings.

Claire was one of the only few who knew how determined Cornelius Rhodes was to outmatch and outdo his son at every chance. Out of jealousy, nature, a craving for power, no one knew, only that this "competition" had been going on since Connor was a kid.

"You seemed…okay around him," she said in a low voice, not meeting her brother in the eye.

"That's because I was half delusional from lack of oxygen," Connor retaliated, but immediately softened up when he saw her sunken expression. She had been playing this game as long as he had, hell, she was the one working with him. Seeing their failure of a father everyday.

"Look, our conversation was short and we said very little. I'm not even sure why he was so keen on coming here," Connor started, Claire finally looking up at him, "But one thing's for sure, we're never going to be okay. And I'm not so sure if that's a bad thing."

She nodded, understanding her brother's position.

But Rhodes was done with the subject, sitting back in his chair once more and closing his eyes as if to make the time go faster.

"Shall I get room service to make the bed for you?" Connor opened his eyes at the sound of Will's mocking voice, "The turn down service here is excellent."

Rhodes rolled his eyes. It was good to be back.


End file.
